Bearing in mind what a wonderful job Conservative MPs have made of running the country, I am staggered to hear that anyone wishes to employ them, especially to give advice and guidance (MPs paid £10m for second jobs and freelance work over past year, 6 August). I imagine they listen to what they say and then do the opposite.
David Gent
Dartmouth, Devon
• We’re used to Tory ministers taking policy decisions that benefit their friends and perhaps ultimately themselves. But the news that Kwasi Kwarteng’s brief period as chancellor has left him financially worse off is surely a first (Kwasi Kwarteng admits mini-budget turmoil affected his mortgage, 6 August)?
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London
• Regarding your letters on grief (6 August), my son died five years ago of a brain tumour. The grief is never-ending. I have been greatly helped by the Compassionate Friends – an organisation that supports bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. We have local meetings and a WhatsApp group, and it has been a lifeline for me.
Marcia Thompson
Formby, Merseyside
• Simon Jenkins (The weather is terrible and the forecasts worse – why do we bother with holidays in August?, 7 August) makes good points about August not being the best month for holidays as the weather is terrible. But Scotland has been the more sensible country for a long time, as there the schools break up at the end of June and return mid-August. Though one has to concede that by mid-August in Scotland, the weather can already be turning autumnal.
Ian Arnott
Peterborough
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